The Red Sox have filed a petition with the Boston Public Improvement Commission to change the name of Yawkey Way back to its original name of Jersey Street.
The portion of the street that borders Fenway Park was changed in 1977, the year after the death of former team owner Tom Yawkey.
The Yawkey Foundation stated its intention to protest the team's request for the name change, which is "based on a false narrative about Tom Yawkey and his record as team owner".
Let's go straight to Papi's Way. Boston baseball really lost is racist provincialism over the last 20 years, in no small part due to the emergence of the team's first true black superstar, a man who could, and did, speak for everyone in "Our F..k'in City."
ReplyDeleteJersey Street? Everybody already knows you can wear jerseys and buy jerseys there. Don't need a street sign telling you that.
Even better: Kevin Millar's Walk Way.
ReplyDeleteI'm siding with the Red Sox on this. While Yawkey's charitable contributions still resonate with the city 40-plus years after his passing, the attitude of his franchise during and after his tenure towards minorities, specifically black ballplayers, cannot be overlooked. Changing the name doesn't erase what happened, but it does demonstrate a continued commitment by the franchise to distance itself from that period.
Big Papi is not black, he's hispanic.
ReplyDeleteHis skin is dark, is the fucking point.
ReplyDelete